When I was a dumb kid I (mildly) electrocuted myself
When I was a kid I electrocuted myself…in a way that would’ve been completely avoidable were I not an idiot child. But it wasn’t completely my fault.
See, some other idiot kid - maybe a sibling or friend - had left a paper clip standing up like a piece of toast in the vertical slit of an extension cord in my room. I noticed. That’s not supposed to be there, I thought. That’s probably dangerous, because I know you’re not supposed to put things in outlets. So I reached to remove the paperclip.
Zap. I felt a weird, painful sort of chill ripple through my body, and then I let go. Of course. Metal conducts electricity. I felt embarrassed - I should’ve known better! So I didn’t tell anyone. I just left the paper clip there.
A few days later, my mom discovered the paper clip and scolded me. “This could’ve caused a fire,” she said. I just nodded because I didn't want to admit my mistake.
And boy, did I feel like the world’s biggest idiot when I watched her unplug the power strip before removing the paper clip.